Asir Gov. Prince Faisal bin Khaled has ordered the arrest of three young Saudis and an expat who appeared in footage burning a fox to death as they smiled on, said Lt. Col. Abdullah Al-Shaathan, media spokesman for Asir police.

The video, which shows the young men setting fire to a paper box and putting it inside the iron cage and then pouring benzene to increase the flames, went viral on social media sites, provoking outrage.

The Saudi National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD) had increased efforts to search for the criminal after the clip went viral.

Represented by security authorities, the NCWCD had appealed to the Interior Ministry to arrest the young men and called on whoever recognizes them to inform authorities immediately.

Authorities scrutinized the video and determined that the crime had taken place in the Sarat Ubaida Governorate.

Prince Bandar bin Mohammed Al-Saud, head of the NCWCD, described them as “terrorists, oppressors and criminals who degrade the nation’s capabilities.”

“Foxes, even if harmful, should not be killed in this way. Islamic law preserves the right of humans and animals alike,” he added.